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Robert Hawke

With eight years in office, Bob Hawke was Australia’s longest-serving Labor Prime Minister. He became Prime Minister after only two years in parliament, and only one month as Leader of the Opposition.

Prime Minister Bob Hawke talks to Archbishop James Carroll outside Parliament House during the Economic Summit in April 1983.

NAA: A6180, 15/4/83/5

Building on his success as trade union president, Hawke established consensus with unions and business to stabilise wage growth, improve the ability of business to compete in global markets and to deregulate the Australian economy and promote growth.